A Monthly Column By Hal Tretbar
Car Logos with Wings
This is the first of several articles about automobile companies and flying. We will start off with automobile logos with wings. Some of these companies built airplanes and some didn’t, but more about that next month.
From 1962 to 1978 Alta was a Greek constructor of cars, trucks and motorcycles that also built race cars.
Founded in Britain in 1913, the Aston Martin winged design was adapted in 1927.
A joint venture between the Austin division of British Motors and Donald Healey was formed in 1952. The last cars were produced in 1972.
After building engines for Sopwth Camels in WWl W.O. Bentley founded Bentley Motors in 1919.
The number of feathers depended on the particular model.
Chrysler’s logo has changed several times since its inception in 1926. Wings were added in 1998.
The Genesis is the premier model of the Hyundai Motor Group. The wings aren’t cluttered with unneceessary details.
The Hillman Motor Car Company was established in Britain in 1907. The retro styled logo suggests speed and agility.
After building the best aircraft engines in WWl Spanish based Hispano (Swiss)Suiza built premium autos in the twenties and thirties. The crest shows the connection with aviation as well as the countries of origin.
Available intermittently, the British Invicta was made from 1925 to 1933, then 1933 to 1938, and 1946 to 1950.
The name has been revived for the new S1 sports car.
British JBA Motors (Ken Jones, John Barlow, and David Ashley) built variations of the open, 2 seater
Falcon from 1982 to 2004 when it was sold and closed.
Since 1906 Lagonda has been a British luxury car marque. It was founded by American, Wilbur Gunn, an engineer and a former opera singer. He named it after a river near his hometown of Springfield, Ohio. It is now owned by Aston Martin.
London EV Company’s logo represents Pegasus, the winged horse of Greek mythology.
They are noted for building London’s black taxicabs. It is owned by the Chinese automaker Geely.
This Mazda logo has been used since 1997. The stylized, gently curved M, develops into an elegant shape of stretched wings.
Since 2000 British Mini has been owned by German BMW. This range of smaller cars has a logo written
in upper case letters with wings that symbolize speed and freedom of expression.
Henry Frederick Stanley Morgan started making his British cars in 1910. It is still owned by the family. They are known for handmade construction using wood for framing the body shell. They make both 3 and 4 wheel vehicles.
The Pontiac Firebird was built from 1967 to 2002. The emblem was a stylized bird with open wings.
Some versions had reddish feathers to resemble fire flames.
SsangYong translates as Two Dragons. This popular South Korean car’s logo depicts the clutches of a powerful and mighty dragon.
The SS stands for Suffolk Sports Cars Ltd. This British company is known for producing exact copies of the legendary Jaguar SS 100.
They are accepted in Jaguar clubs around the world.
The red, winged, five diamond, logo represents Liuzhou Wuling Automobile Industry Co., Ltd of China. In 2001, SAIC Wuling Automobile Co., Ltd. formed a joint venture with American General Motors to become one of the largest manufacturers of minivans in China.
References: Car Logos with Wings, https://car-logos.com/appearance/wings/, https://www.car-brand-names.com/car-logos-with-wings, https://www.carlogos.org/reviews/car-logos-with-wings.html, https://listcarbrands.com/26-car-logos-with-wings/
Wikipedia: Various car manufacturers